Problem Between PSE 6 and printer

[maggiestampa]

G'day All

Since I upgraded to PSE 6 and CS3 when I try to print I get a warning "Some PostScript specific print settings (Interpolation, Calibration, Encoding) will be ignored since you are printing to a non-PostScript printer".

If I go ahead and print, everything is way darker than on my screen. I've just calibrated my screen with Spyder 2's upgrade and am printing on a Canon Pixma i6600D which until now has produced very acceptable prints. I've tried several papers from really cheap to top quality, and also printed on my husbands brand new HP printer. The result is the same. So it appears to be something wrong in the communication between the computer and printer. What is a postscript printer? Is the problem just a setting I haven't found yet on my computer? I'm using Vista.

I get the same message and results whether I'm using PSE 6 or CS3. I don't have a clue what to do to try and resolve the problem.

Does anyone have experience with this or know of any way to resolve it?
I'd appreciate any advice.

TIA
Maggie:confused:

[TonyW]

I get the same message with PSE6 but it hasn't affected the way things print (with my Epson R300). My guess is that it's the print set up you're using (and whether you have CS3/PSE6 managing the color or the printer (but never both because that really does give problems usually with dark prints).

What programs were you using before when it was printing correctly?

Tony

[maggiestampa]

Hi Tony, I was using CS2 &PSE 5. However I have just bought a new computer loaded with Vista. I have set up so that the source is always the document profile that Adobe gives me. The sRGB one is usual, and the printer as the destination, with the printer managing the colour for printing I've also tried it with Abobe managing the colour for printing - even worse!

I have upgraded the printer driver for Vista.
I am flattening the image for printing.
In Edit/convert to profile I have set it up to the profile that Adobe provides, with the destination the printer,the engine Adobe AEC, intent as perceptual and all the boxes ticked.

One issue that's really got me stumped is that I occasionally get a really good print. It really 'feels' as though I'm missing something with regards the settings somewhere and that the problem isn't so much the printer, but what Adobe is communicating. But I really have no idea. (sigh -with great gnashing of teeth!)

[TonyW]

Can't help much I'm afraid as I'm not familiar with Canon printers. I usually have Photoshop Manage Color, use the Epson printer/paper specific profile and turn off color management in the printer driver but I'm not sure if that Canon has printer/paper profiles or how you turn off color management in the Canon drivers.

It's strange that sometimes it works and sometimes not.

Have you tried using setting Color Managament in the printer dialogue to No Color Management. The only difference between that and Printer Manages Color is that the first doesn't send the profile and the second does. Many printers don't do anything with the profile so it doesn't matter but perhaps yours does.

Tony

[maggiestampa]

I've changed it to no colour management in the printer dialogue and it has made a slight improvement.

Just bear with me one more time please, Tony.

If you're letting Photshop manage the colour, does that mean that sometimes the Document profile is Adobe RGB 1998, at the same time the Printer Profile is Working RGB-Adobe RGB 1998?

I'm having trouble getting my head around your earlier advice that I shouldn't have both Photoshop and the printer managing the colour.(I'm assuming here that some printers allow this within the printer dialogue page?) Mine doesn't, unless you are talking about a setting within Photoshop as well as the one in the printer dialogue. (?)
So, if in the printer dialogue, The doc profile is sRGB, Photoshop manages the colours and the printer profile is Working RGB-Adobe RGB (1998), that should be okay? In the page set up, should I select only the custom settings for print quality and colour intensity? (I have just used forty sheets of good quality photo paper trying all the combinations I can think of. It's all becoming very expensive!) - And in case you haven't guessed - totally confused!!!!

BTW I have tried all the 'help' options in Photoshop to find this information but they are next to useless.

What I'm trying to figure out now, is whether my printer is the problem.

Thanks, Tony, I won't trouble you after this.

[TonyW]

It is confusing but don't confuse working profiles with device specific profiles which is what the printer (and display) needs. Because all devices like printers and displays show colour a bit differently they each require a different profile to convert the raw colour data so that all of them show the same colour. Because you calibrated your display that should be using a device specific profile. You then need to have a profile that is specific to the printer and paper. I have them for my Epson and they're called for example SPR300 Premium Glossy, just not sure if Canon has something similar for that printer. Those printer profiles are only active if you let Photoshop manage colour. But if you do that then you have to turn off colour management in the printer - otherwise Photoshop does a conversion and then the printer converts again and you often get a mess. I'm sure your printer has that option somewhere. If you can't do that, then select Printer manages color or No color Management and then you need to set the printer properties for color settings and for the paper you're using. So now Photoshop is sending unconverted numbers and the printer is doing the conversion.

Tony

[maggiestampa]

Thank you so much, Tony! I'm feeling it's much clearer now.

I really appreciate your input. You have saved my neck once more! ;o)

[TonyW]

Margaret: It is hard to get your head around but it does get easier with time and some pateience (and a bit of experimenting). I did find the following link which does indicate that your printer has printer/paper profiles and you can turn off color correction in the printer. Take a look at the ICC Profile section:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRINT/C6600/C6600.HTM

Also look at this post from Colin (our resident color management expert) in another thread (on a similar issue with another Canon printer)

http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=355082&postcount=6

Tony

[Codebreaker]

Blush, Blush :-)

Colin

[maggiestampa]

Thank you both so much. I'll let you know how I get on. I'm feeling a lot more hopeful. Busy day agian for me LOL! Hopefully a little less stressful!

[maggiestampa]

Thank you so much Tony and Colin. I've followed all of your advice and got to the point where I can at least get a 'clean' print. It seems as though the Vista upgrade for my printer is not all that it could be hence the remaining issues with over dark and oversaturated prints. I'm getting around that for the time being with custom settings for each individual print. I've written to Canon and am awaiting a reply before deciding whether my printer is only good for the scrap heap. I've also updated my version of CS3 and that seems to have helped a little, but I'm not really happy. I had a print done at a photo lab and it was perfect so the printer must be the problem.

So, now the hunt is on to see which is the best printer for photos. One of these days I'll actully be able to print out the scrpabook layouts I've been making recently.
Thank you again for your wonderful help and advice. I've learnt so much!